


Picture Us Together

by Silver_Sterling



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Writing on Skin, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 01:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9049252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Sterling/pseuds/Silver_Sterling
Summary: People are connected to their soulmates and can communicate through drawing on their skin which will appear on their soulmate's body. However Natsu hates the thought of his soulmate and refuses to acknowledge them while Gray spends hours drawing over his skin to get no response. Cue angst.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for the ft fic exchange for tumblr user @navybluewings0013 :)

It was the middle of summer, July 7th, but Natsu was cold and alone. After hours of wandering around he had sunk down onto the ground and distantly watched the strange patterns crawling across his skin. It was unfair, he decided as jagged blue lines formed crystals on his forearms, that he had a connection like this with a stranger and not his father. The ability to contact and find someone halfway across the world entrusted to someone he didn’t care about. He didn’t want a soulmate. He didn’t want love. He didn’t want romance. He wanted Igneel and somehow this person was stopping him.

He hated that he didn’t get a choice. The day he lost Igneel was the day he vowed to never mark his skin or have any contact with his ‘soulmate’.

***

“I’m sorry Natsu there’s no way I know of to redirect or destroy soulmate bonds. It’s a strong magic bound deeply to our existence. Although you don’t have to follow its choices, it is overall a very beneficial magic. Instead of thinking that your soulmate is stealing an opportunity for you to find Igneel, realise that they would follow you to the ends of Earthland to help you find him," explained Makarov as Natsu pouted. “One day you’ll grow up and realise it’s for the best.”

Somehow Natsu doubted that as he stomped off to find Gray and take out his aggression.

***

The events at the tower of heaven had shaken everybody. The delicate red patterns tracing Erza’s right eye matching a member of the council’s was strange enough but someone as pure hearted and heroic as Erza being soulmates with a crazed worshipper of Zeref who had tortured her for years was unthinkable. Lucy and her innocent hopes for true love were crushed as she fretted over Erza while Natsu’s hatred for soulmate bonds was only fuelled by this sickening turn. Gray wasn’t sure what to think. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe meeting a soulmate would be plain sailing from then on but then he had never thought that in the first place. Relationships took hard work and dedication but his parents had used their bond to find each other and they had been happy.

As he watched Natsu toss and turn restlessly in his sleep, still trying to shift the effects of the etherion, his mind started to wander. Whenever someone with a pen got anywhere near Natsu he would always flinch away, dodging if Gray tried to tease him with it. He wasn’t sure if Natsu had ever drawn on his skin to try and contact his soulmate, but then that wasn’t uncommon. A lot of people wanted to wait until they were older to try and meet up and others would enter into relationships first and test if they were soulmates later. Although Gray spent most of his evenings when he was alone doodling ideas for new weapons or ice sculptures across his arms, his soulmate had never once marked his skin and that was a little disappointing.

Though for the moment he didn’t mind. Some people, including a certain water mage, were hell-bent on following ‘true’ love instead of some predesigned choice that might not even be the best for them and although Gray had always thought he would follow in his parents’ footsteps and marry his soulmate when they were ready to meet, he was now considering choosing love over fate instead. He would never admit it out loud but somewhere down in the depths of his heart he really cared for Natsu.

It had hit him on Galuna Island after the dragon slayer had stopped him so forcefully from using iced shell, the reason simply being: ‘I didn’t want you to die’. No one had said something like that to him so bluntly before and after his only remaining family was willing to kill him in hatred it broke through a wall of ice he’d put up long ago. In retrospect, his feelings for Natsu had grown as they grew up together both in age and strength. Always pushing each other to be stronger, bolder, better. If it was anyone else they would have been a perfect match but Natsu despised him most of the time and so Gray hid his feelings in false hatred too, keeping his mouth shut and watching from the side-lines as chances of being with his best friend gradually drifted away.

***

Natsu growled in frustration as sketchy blue lines steadily appeared on his arms. It was only noon and already half his body was covered rough crystals and swirling winter gales. Twisting uncomfortably he grimaced, nails flying all over his body until he gave up and opted to scratch is back on a nearby pillar.

“Natsu are you okay?” asked Lucy, frowning when she got only a grunt in return.

“One of those days, huh," Erza remarked as she moved across the guildhall to join them. Noticing Lucy’s look of bewilderment and slight disgust, Erza decided to explain for Natsu. “His soulmate’s drawing all over him. They do this a few days a year for some reason. It’s pretty but-”

“Gah! It fucking itches!” he shouted. “Where’s icicle dick when you need him? I want to punch something!”

After a few more minutes of complaining and fidgeting, he grumbled something about going to find Gajeel and left; Erza had been watching him with concerned eyes all the while.

“He’s never liked the thought of a soulmate," she said, gently tracing the red pattern beneath her eye. “The first time these drawings appeared was the day Igneel went missing and it just seemed to rub salt in the wound. He wanted to use it to contact Igneel somehow instead.”

She then went on to explain how he would trawl all over Fiore for leads on getting rid of his soulmate bond or altering it while also searching for Igneel. As the rumours of dragon sightings dwindled so did his desire to eliminate the bond although he would still get antsy whenever inky lines mapped his skin. He had vowed never to mark his own skin and Lucy remembered the tentative way he held himself as she drew a line across her wrist when they first met to check if they were compatible.

She also recalled his aversion to sweet gestures of protection from their resident scripture mages, sneering as Levy doodled symbols of protection over her arms or wrote iron as large as she could to send Gajeel sustenance through her solid script. Knowing Natsu she had just written that, and the jibes at Freed for writing specialised runes for each opponent they faced across his arms, off as childish jealousy or rivalry with Laxus and Gajeel. Now she realised that not only did Natsu think it was unfair, he hated that others could use their magic to track and protect their loved ones when he couldn’t.

“He said it itched right? I’ve never heard of anyone being able to feel their soulmate drawing on their body.”

Erza nodded solemnly.

“Unfortunately for Natsu, feeling soulmate marks being drawn is very rare and only happens in cases where the bond is immovable. Some might say soulmates like this are truly destined for each other and fate won’t allow otherwise.” She sighed. “I’d usually say it was just his overactive imagination or he was making a big deal of it but that’s not really Natsu. He only really brings attention to it on days like this when it’s constant, when we were growing up his arms would be drawn on every night and he never said a word. I’m not sure if it’s as often now but it bothers him more than he likes to let on.”

Looking over to where Natsu and Gajeel were currently brawling, throwing chunks of singed debris and crumpled metal across the guild she frowned. “That doesn’t mean I’ll excuse fighting in the guild though.”

While Erza marched over to smash two hard-heads together, Lucy contemplated how many levels there were to Natsu that she didn’t know about. After spending her childhood alone with books and fairy tales she had thought someone like Natsu would love the idea of a bond between soulmates. Not that Natsu was romantic in any way, she just remembered reading about dragons mating for life and assumed Natsu would want to take after Igneel.

On the other hand in dangerous situations he always seemed to pull through and do the impossible if it meant saving his friends which was defying fate in a way so maybe Natsu was just determined to forge his own path. After all he really didn’t like being told what to do. But fate was bigger than that.

Soulmates chosen by fate as a suitable match at birth was one thing but not having a choice at all in who you ended up with or the path your life took was different, scary even. Looking at the downcast expression on Natsu’s face as he was dragged back to the table she felt a pang of sympathy and couldn’t blame him for hating the idea of his soulmate.

Time went on and they discussed a few jobs they could take over the next couple of weeks while Natsu had his head in his hands, blocking out the colour slowly washing over his forearms. Just as they were about to leave for the day, Lyon burst through the guild doors panting heavily. Eyes flitting around the guild he moved forward and sighed in relief when he spotted most of team Natsu in the corner.

“Have you seen Gray? It’s-” he stopped mid-sentence, mouth falling open as he stared at the shapes across Natsu’s skin. Blinking slowly, he tilted his head and looked around at Erza and Lucy questioningly, pointing vaguely in Natsu’s direction. “I…Na-Natsu is? Uh…wow.”

He sank down onto the bench opposite Natsu while the others shared a moment of confusion.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lucy cautiously as Lyon still looked a little shell-shocked. “And we haven’t seen Gray all day. He hasn’t come here.”

Shaking his head, Lyon seemed to recollect his thoughts.

“Sorry I didn’t know. I mean, Natsu’s soulmate! Just…wow. I thought he would have told me.” His usual composure returned as he sat up a little straighter. “I suppose I should congratulate you two. It just surprised me that’s all.”

“What the fuck are you on about?” Natsu mumbled into his arms, unhappy with all the extra attention his soulmate was getting. It was bad enough that everyone had noticed his disdain for them without actually talking about it to his face.

Lyon’s brow had crumpled again as he surveyed the team’s blank faces.

“You…you don’t recognise those drawings? Seriously?” he asked incredulously, composure withering once more.

Natsu stared down at his arms with hard eyes. Nope. Nothing. He squinted up at the others’ confused expressions and Lyon’s look of exasperation before glancing back down to scrutinise the marks across his skin. What did they look like? Crystals. Blue. Recognise. Similar. Creative. Ice. Lyon. _Gray_. No. No!

No, that was ridiculous. No way could his soulmate be his rival. Gray wouldn’t betray him and keep him from Igneel like that. This was just a cruel prank Lyon was playing, right? Whichever way he thought about it Gray was the only answer from Lyon’s bizarre reaction but how? Wracking his brain he couldn’t think of a single time the marks had appeared while Gray was there. In the evenings he would often go off by himself and insist he be left alone. Was this what he had been doing?

Never before had Natsu felt so stupid. He’d done his best to ignore the drawings across his body but he’d still noticed them. How could he not have seen the similarities between magic and art that he saw every single day for over seven years?

His breathing came harsh and shallow as his brain tried to fit this new piece of himself into his current mind-set. Fists slowly clenched and shook as he pressed them into the table, knuckles grinding against wood as he tried to ground himself. He lost himself traveling down powder blue pathways all leading him to the same cold person like fate wanted them to. How cruel to pick someone Natsu had grown up with, someone who had become a central part of his life when he was determined to cut them out.

For once his hearing was not sharp but echoing and distorted as he struggled to stand up and get away from _this_. Stumbling out of the guild, he whipped his head around frantically like a wild animal. Where could he go to escape? Snow fluttered down from the heavens, blurring his vision in a bitter reminder of Gray and his blurring of the clear boundaries Natsu had set between himself and his soulmate. Hearing heightened voices blending together behind him, it no longer mattered where he went as long as it was away from here. He broke into a sprint, trusting his nose rather than his eyes in the storm especially as stray tears slid from the corners of his eyes and distorted his vision.

Every thought was consumed by Gray. His face, his scent, his magic seemed to infiltrate what was left of Natsu’s rationality and tugged at his heart. Fuck. The feelings Natsu held for Gray had always been a bit of an ambiguous area and was now really the time to sort them out? Frayed strings of memory, growth and nostalgia entangled in aggression, strength and mutual respect had kept them together through the years. Now they were connected in so many ways it was impossible for Natsu to even imagine a life without Gray. How could he when his scent and presence were overwhelming his senses?

His trail of thought slowed and came to a halt along with his feet as he came into a clearing in the forest. Icicles hung down from frosted bark as powdered snow continued to fall and there across the clearing was Gray, hunched over his knees and shivering. This was the last place he’d wanted to end up but seeing Gray in such a state he couldn’t bring himself to regret this unconscious decision.

Natsu quickly moved through the snow and knelt down to face Gray but he took no notice. A pen was clenched desperately in his hand while his eyes were blank, staring down at his arms where the original drawings from Natsu’s skin lay. He was trembling vigorously from something colder than the snow and his breathing was so slow Natsu could barely detect it, almost as if he had forgotten how.

“Gray," he called out, not actually expecting a response at this point. Instead his body moved on its own, easing the pen out of Gray’s iron grasp and pocketing it before scooping up the ice mage in his arms and beginning the trek home. Gradually Natsu manoeuvred through the forest, making sure to keep Gray steady in case he was brought back into the world too soon and Natsu wouldn’t be able to cope.

Eventually they reached Natsu’s house and were welcomed inside by a wave of warmth enveloping them. Placing Gray gently on the couch, Natsu went to put on some tea and stoked the fire before fetching a blanket to wrap around his shoulders. It had been a while since he’d had to look after anyone like this let alone Gray who would hide away his true feelings at every moment possible, stupid brain-frozen idiot, but with his friends having such traumatic pasts everyone in the guild more or less knew what to do in situations like these. Fairy Tail members would always help when one of their own was in trouble and this was no different.

By now a dusting of colour had risen in ashen cheeks, not red or even a pale pink but it was there all the same. Still, Gray was showing no signs of awareness other than the blank focus on his bare arms and legs. Tentatively, Natsu moved his arms forward to present them to Gray, speaking slowly and clearly.

“Look Gray they’re the same. Can you see that?” Nothing. Natsu didn’t know if this was the best time to reveal their situation to Gray but with both of their bodies covered in drawings it wasn’t as if he could hide it. Nothing like a shock to jolt you back into the present and anyway Natsu could really use some comfort right now. “We’re soulmates so I’m here to talk or whatever," he mumbled. More than slightly annoyed at how today had turned out.

As he rubbed patient circles on Gray’s back with one hand and nursed a warm mug of tea in the other, he remembered that throughout their lives they had saved each other countless times. Without Gray he wouldn’t be alive right now let alone anywhere as strong and vice versa and that was staggering. He had always felt the bond he shared with Gray burnt brighter and deeper than any other and now he realised that feelings he had labelled as rivalry even though he didn’t share them with any other rival were something softer, more fluid. Had he been in love this whole time? Maybe there was some truth to it when people called him stupid.

A good twenty minutes passed in silence, Gray still unresponsive and Natsu finally getting to a place where he could begin to understand a part of himself previously unexplored. Now all that was left was to bring Gray back and tell him.

He turned Gray to face him while he was still gazing down at his forearms and taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket and got out the pen from earlier. Steadily, in the best handwriting Igneel had taught him, he wrote bold and clear across his forearm.

‘Gray I’m your soulmate – Natsu.’ Not the most romantic of things but as Gray’s eyes slowly traced the simple words and his pupils constricted to look up at him, he knew it was enough.

No words were needed as Natsu tentatively edged forwards and wrapped his arms around Gray, quickly tightening them in response to the death grip on his back. They stayed transfixed by the others presence for a while until Gray spoke, Natsu more feeling the rumble of his voice through his throat than hearing it.

“I love you.”

“Yeah, I think I love you too, idiot.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not quite sure about how this came out but I hope it's okay. Reviews are always really appreciated - happy holidays :)


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